Vocal cords are tricky instruments — singers who haven’t learned to use them properly for prolonged periods are often prone to hemorrhaged cords, leaving them totally voiceless. It happened to British stars Sam Smith and Jess Glynne earlier this year, requiring surgeries for both of them. Adele’s rumored stadium run post-21 was reportedly cancelled for similar reasons a few years back
Now Meghan Trainor’s the latest vocal cord victim, posting to Instagram earlier this morning to alert her fans that she’d hemorrhaged the muscle for the second time this summer following a bout of bronchitis that lead to nonstop coughing. “I am devastated, scared, and so sorry,” she wrote, letting fans know that she’d have to cancel the remainder of her current M Train tour.
Noticing a theme? Most of the singers afflicted with vocal injuries are young twenty-somethings who were catapulted to stardom with minimal time for proper training. Smith skyrocketed to the top of the charts with “Stay With Me,” resulting in an immediate world tour that left him scrambling for a voice. Glynne scooped up a Grammy for her Clean Bandit track “Rather Be,” and she too rushed to complete an album and endless touring without tending to treatment of a muscle that needs the proper conditioning. Trainor’s much the same — “All About That Bass” took off at lightning pace, speeding her along at a clip to which most young people aren’t accustomed. When things happen that quickly, it’s incredibly easy to forget about the little things, which soon, of course, become big problems.
Hopefully the recovery time will allow the 21-year-old singer to focus on pressing projects like her contribution to the upcoming Peanuts movie.
